By Nikki Glover (St Mary’s Church Warden)
St Mary’s church has changed over the years, from the tin hut it used to be in Victorian times, to the brick building it became, then the extensions of the entrance hall, office and small hall on one side and the large community centre and kitchen on the other side. The need to accommodate those with extra needs meant a change to the front steps by the building of a ramp and extending the steps.
Now we have a small new addition to the front steps by way of a tiered planter. Unfortunately, the front corner of the steps has had a couple of run ins with vehicles causing quite a bit of damage. This was repaired and then hit again, so we decided to look at alternative ways to protect the steps. Our investigations led us to the idea of a heavy wooden planter and handrails. This will provide protection for the remaining steps, safety for those using the steps by way of being able to hold the handrails, and we are looking forward to having some lovely bee friendly plants planted in the spring. And of course this will all look lovely in wedding photos!
The church is in deficit at the moment, so I raised the money needed for the planter over the space of 6 months. Thank you to everyone who chipped in!
The damaged steps were removed and the new planter built over a 2 day period by Grant Stephens, who specialises in all things wood! Here are a few photos of the ongoing progress, and one of the Sunday school children admiring the end result. I’m looking forward to putting plants in it!
Nikki
You can reach our carpenter, Grant Stephens on: 07867 526010 or email him at grantsfencing@mail.com He does everything from fencing, decking, and sheds to patios and landscaping.